Robitronic EXPERT Instructions page 2

With no battery connected, "OFF" status and supply voltage will be shown on the display.
Status display:
OFF OFF - No battery connected
CHG
Charge - Charging
RDY Ready - Charging completed
TRK Trickle - Trickle charging
ERR Error - Battery connection wrong or supply voltage too low
Display during charge in progress:
Battery temperature Time elapsed since start of charging
Charging
o
CHG 23.5 C 03:14
6.0A 9.25 0264
Charged capacity in mAh
Current Battery voltage
(2 decimals showing)
Display when charging is completed:
Trickle charge
o
TRK 34.9 C 35:27
0.0A 10.3p 3416
Peak voltage
(maximum voltage reached during charging)
Calculation and display of internal resistance is only possible when using the EXP-3P mode for charging. Lower internal resistance stands
for higher voltage output during discharge and therefor higher revs.
Peak voltage is the maximum voltage reached during the charging process, a higher peak voltage is also a sign for higher intenal
resistance.
Switching the temperature display from Celsius to Fahrenheit (and back to Celsius):
To change the units for the temperature display just hold down the (-) button when powering on the charger. This setting will be stored even
when disconnecting the power supply.
Degrees Fahrenheit
o
OFF 71.8 F 00:00
0.0A 13.5V 0000
Warnings and errors:
Whenever the power supply voltage is low or a battery is reverse connected the message
"ERR" will be shown and a warning sound will be heard.
If the power supply is interrupted during charging, the process will resume automatically after
the power supply is on and stabilised again.
SETTINGS
Setting the parameters for charging:
Switch to Set Up Mode by pressing the Mode-button - the display will change to show the programmed settings. Press the Mode-button
again to shift the cursor (= underline) to the next parameter. To change any underlined parameter press the Plus (+) or Minus (-) button.
Saving the paramters:
To store the modified parameters into memory hold down the Mode-button when pressing the Start-button again. When writing to
memory is completed there will be a signal heard. Settings stored to memory will be loaded whenever the charger is connected to a power
supply.
To use the new parameters without saving to memory just press the Start-button again to quit the Set Up Mode.
Delay timer:
To activate the programmable delay timer switch to Set Up Mode. Select a value between 0 and 99 minutes for the delay before starting
a new charge. This works similar to a tea timer. Charging will start after the count down timer reached 0. This delayed charging procedu-
re is especially useful for competition racing where charging "to the minute" is essential. And you will never again have to race with a bat-
tery charged only partially.
Status display
o
OFF 22.1 C 00:00
0.0A 13.5V 0000
Supply voltage
o
CHG 23.5 C 03:14
*
4.5 9.25 0264
an asterix behind the current appears whenever the current
was reduced (because of overload conditions)
Ready (charge completed)
o
RDY 34.9 C 35:27
5.6R 10.3p 3416
Internal resistance
(in mOhms - only when using EXP-3P mode)
Degrees Celsius
o
OFF 22.1 C 00:00
0.0A 13.5V 0000
Error
o
ERR 22.1 C 00:00
0.0A 9.5V 0000
2
---> > SETUP <---
StartTimer 0min
To start the countdown just press the Start-button. A blinking colon shows when the countdown is running. The delay timer will be reset to
0 after activation but the selected delay time is not saved to memory (it has to be set newly whenever the delay timer is used).
Charging modes:
6 different charging profiles (settings) may be stored to the built-in memory to give a personalised and convenient choice of charging modes
for NiMH and NiCd batteries.
Profil #: 1
Chg-M M ode: Linear
Linear mode and EXP-3P profile:
There is a choice between the conventional linear charging mode using constant current or the sophisticated EXP-3P profile developed by
Robitronic. "EXP-3P" stands for "Expert 3-Phase Charging", a software programme to optimise the current setting depending on the status
of the battery on charge.
·
Phase 1: battery is charged with a very high current (8 - 9 Amps) to gain maximum voltage under load (during discharge)
·
Phase 2: battery is charged as in linear mode (current is 5 - 6 Amps)
·
Phase 3: current is reduced to 3 - 4 Amps to enhance capacity
After reaching the Peak-voltage you can adjust a 4. Phase for charging. Where you can continue charging with a settable time and current.
This is in order to get more Temperature on the batterie when you use the EXP charging mode.
Using 4 charging phases in combination with different current settings will result in higher output voltage and increased capacity (compared
to conventional charging modes using one constant current setting only).
Adjusting the charge current:
Current: 3-P P hase
Chg-M M ode: Linear
Current : 5.0A 9.0A 6.0A 4.0A
When using the EXP-3P profile there is a need to adjust the current settings for all 3 phases seperately. Current setting for phase 1 should
be as high as possible - depending on the ability the of power supply in use to deliver high currents.
At the 4. Phase you can adjust a time (0-20 minutes) where the charger continue charging after reaching the Peak-Level. With this method
you can reach a higher Voltage Level (means more punch) when using at competition.
Peak Voltage and Peak-Lock timer setting:
Peak:
Peak-L L ock:
Peak voltage and Peak-Lock timer may be set only in Linear Mode, when using EXP-3P mode the peak voltage setting will be adjusted
automatically to the battery on charge. Peak setting is used to determine the Delta Peak voltage for cut-off and should be selected
according to the battery to be charged. For NiMH batteries a value of 8 mV/cell and for NiCd batteries 20 mV/cell are recommended. The
range for the Delta Peak detection may be set between 4 mV/cell and 40 mV/cell. Delta Peak detection may be deactivated to cut-off on
temperature only.
Peak-Lock is set to block out Delta Peak detection for a certain time to allow reliable charging of older battery packs with inconsistent
voltage characteristics in Linear Mode.
Cut-Off temperature setting:
CutOffTemp: 50 C
Trickle
Temperature cut-off may be selected as an extra safety feature by attaching the provided temperature probe to the battery. Temperature
cut-off may be disabled by increasing the value untill "OFF" shows in the display.
When charging in EXP-3P mode the use of the temperature probe is strongly recommended because of the high current settings used in
phase 1.
Trickle charging:
Continued charging with short pulses after the regular charge is only recommended for NiCd batteries.
Profil #: 1
Chg-M M ode: EXP-3 3 P
Current: 5.A
Overcharge: 3min
8 mV/cell
0min
o
: No
3